It looks like there’s some family tension brewing “Right Thurr” between rapper Chingy and his 19-year-old son, actor Isaiah Russell-Bailey.
The speculation comes just days after Chingy’s appearance on The Jason Lee Show went viral. During the interview, the rapper publicly revealed that he was the father of Russell-Bailey and his three siblings — and even shared that he is a grandfather. But the Disney+ star didn’t appear to acknowledge his dad’s shoutout. Instead, he took to social media to celebrate his mother and manager, Brittany Perry-Russell, noting that she raised him all alone.
Here’s what Isaiah Russell-Bailey’s post read.
Shortly after Chingy’s interview began making headlines, Russell-Bailey took to Instagram to celebrate his mom. In the heartfelt post, the young actor thanked her for “always” being there for him.
“Everything I am, I owe to the woman who has always been there. Grateful for you always🙏🏽 #Mom,” Russell-Bailey wrote.
The Family Reunion star’s post included several photos of him and his mother, including a sweet mother-son moment as well as a shot of Russell-Bailey posing for photographers on the red carpet at the Sept. 2 premiere of The Uprising in Los Angeles.
But some fans and netizens began questioning Chingy’s role in his son’s life and whether the rapper had actually been present throughout Russell-Bailey’s childhood. A few spotted that there were no photos of the rapper on the young actor’s page.
Things got even more interesting when Russell-Bailey appeared to like several comments under his post that suggested Chingy may not have been as involved as some people assumed.
“IDK why that man got on a huge platform to big up a child’s success that he had no hand in. That was very weird.”
Yikes, read more on the drama after the flip.
Brittany Perry-Russell opened up about being a “single mom” during an interview on the Auntie Cousin Podcast in April.
As social media users started looking deeper into the family dynamic, they resurfaced an April 6 appearance by Brittany Perry-Russell on The Auntie Cousin Podcast, where she opened up about the realities and challenges of raising her son as a single mom.
Perry-Russell described motherhood as “absolutely terrifying” at times, explaining that she was doing it alone.
“There’s only one voice in the household. I’m a single mom,” she said emotionally. “I’ve been doing it by myself the entire time so, there’s that pressure of not wanting to get it wrong.”
Source: Unique Nicole / Getty
The manager and choreographer also spoke about receiving praise from fans and people in the entertainment industry for the way she has supported her son’s acting career and her brilliant work of raising him. She said she never expected to receive recognition for her role as a mother.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be praised for being a great mom,” she said emotionally.
According to Perry-Russell, even her son has recognized how much work she puts into managing his career, telling her:
“Mom, you’re pretty cold-blooded at what you do.”
Chingy entered the chat with this.
It wasn’t long before Chingy himself appeared to address the conversation.
After one Instagram user questioned whether Russell-Bailey actually knew that Chingy was his father, the rapper responded, according to a screenshot shared by @Nprezzed on Sept. 4:
“Haha he does but manipulation and using kids for checks is a thing.”
At this point, it’s unclear exactly what is going on behind the scenes or whether there is genuine tension between Chingy, Russell-Bailey, and his mother.
Hopefully, whatever issues may exist within the family can eventually be worked out.
What y’all think? Is there really family drama here, or are people reading too much into it?
